For couples looking to improve physical and emotional intimacy in their relationship, licensed marriage and family therapist Jeanie Y. Chang recommends watching K-dramas together.
“K-Dramas almost always feature and include a love story that’s as cheesy as it gets,” says Chang. “However, this is the type of cringy that puts a smile to your face and gives you the warm and fuzzies because it’s that romantic. It makes you want to cuddle and spoon with your significant other. When watching love scenes (in K-Dramas, they’re generally rated G or PG), the love, bonding hormone called oxytocin is being released so you’re literally feeling the release of a happy hormone which is also why K-Dramas have that appeal. It’s also why K-Drama ‘homework’ can be helpful to incorporate when working with couples physical and emotional intimacy.”
She discusses this in her new book, How K-Dramas Can Transform Your Life: Powerful Lessons on Belongingness, Healing, and Mental Health (Wiley).Chang explores how the wildly popular K-Drama global phenomenon can not just entertain us, but also help us grieve from losses, heal trauma, improve our overall mental health, and navigate the complicated roadmap of life no matter what challenges we may face.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jeanie Y. Chang is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Certified Clinical Trauma Professional. She is an accomplished international speaker, providing keynotes and offers workshops for corporations, community organizations, and universities addressing the intersectionality of mental health and identity, DEIB and psychological safety, as well as education about topics such as burnout, resilience, mindfulness, stress, and mental health conditions including anxiety, depression, and suicidality. She serves as a subject matter expert on mental health for media outlets around the world.
Chang is the founder and CEO of Noona’s Noonchi®, LLC, a global wellness company created out of her global social media influence as Noona’s Noonchi — using her experience as a clinician, speaker, and coach to deep dive into K-Dramas from a mental health perspective. Noona’s Noonchi®, LLC provides mental health education and resources for organizations around the world. It is also a global tour operator, offering K-Culture tours including K-Drama and K-Pop sites, cultural hands-on activities, and wellness experiences. In addition, Chang is also an executive coach, external faculty for McKinsey & Company and a DEIB advisor for business and corporate leaders. Chang’s upcoming book with Wiley Publishing titled, How K-Dramas Can Transform Your Life: Powerful Lessons on Belongingness, Healing, and Mental Health hits shelves in May 2024.
Chang is also the founder and CEO of Your Change Provider, PLLC®, a clinical practice founded on solutions and her unique, trademarked framework Cultural Confidence®. Her Cultural Confidence® program provides psycho-education in all sectors from corporate to schools. She has presented her trademarked curriculum for many corporations such as Google J. Crew, Microsoft, Mondelez International, and the NFL. She has also spearheaded her program for non-profits including the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA), the Council of Korean Americans (CKA), The Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers (SASE), and the National Association of Asian American Professionals (NAAAP).
Chang has specialized training in grief, trauma, and mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR). Her expertise includes intergenerational mental health, workplace mental health, and K-Dramas for mental health. She followed a calling in the field after a diverse career path, starting as a broadcast journalist in Washington, DC in the ’90s, then attending business school. Her work in the corporate sector includes C-level business operations, marketing, public relations, and client success management.
Chang is an active volunteer in the AAPI community. She serves as Board Chair of Asian Mental Health Collective (AMHC) and is a facilitator for the Council of Korean American’s Network of Korean American Leaders (NetKAL) program. In 2019, Chang created the Self-Care & Wellness program for NAAAP, and founded her own non-profit organization in 2020 called, Authentic Self-Care & Wellness, Inc. which promotes mental health research.
For her own self-care, Chang enjoys date nights with her husband of 26 years. They love watching K-Dramas together, kayaking, and playing tennis. Jeanie and her husband are proud parents of four children ages 17 to 23.